“Yes, it is. But I need a color change. The orange is giving me a headache.”
He looked down at the fingers clutching his bicep and saw that the shade she wore was a barely there, light pastel shade that he couldn’t imagine would cause any kind of a headache.
Jess nodded as she continued working on Kennedy’s hair. “It’ll be about fifteen minutes, but I can fit you in.”
“That’s fine. I’ll wait.”
Ethan escorted Mrs. Chen to the two-seat sofa in the waiting area.
“Thank you. I don’t know how I would have managed without you.” Mrs. Chen patted Ethan’s arm as she gingerly lowered onto the couch. “Would you mind fetching me a water before you go?”
Ethan wasn’t sure if she thought she was being sly or not but her tactics were painfully obvious.
“Sure.”
“Ladies.” He dipped his chin in a nod as he passed behind the women on his way to the back of the shop where Jess kept a fridge filled with soda, tea and water for her clients. He’d had to grab an iced tea for Nana several times.
Kennedy smiled and lifted her hand in a slight wave. Jess just stared at him through the reflection of the glass. He could see that the wheels were turning in her pretty little head, but he had no idea where they were going.
After delivering the drink to Mrs. Chen, he gave a general, “You ladies have nice day,” to the room and left.
As he was walking out of the shop, he heard Jess ask, “Did you have a nice run this morning?”
His cheeks strained as he forced his mouth not to curl up in a smile. Casually, he turned back and said, “I did. Thanks.”
She wasn’t looking at him, but he sensed that she had more to say. He loved that he could get under her skin. Just like the look in her eyes, it was another thing that gave him hope. Why would she care if he ran by her house if she didn’t have any feelings for him?
He’d seen how she was with the other guys in town. She joked around. She flirted. She was bold. But with him, she held back. There was a time when he’d worried that it was because she just plain couldn’t stand him. But over the past few years, after catching her staring at him when she didn’t know anyone was looking, after seeing the flush rise in her cheeks when they’d bump into each other, or the way her lips parted and her breaths grew shallow whenever they were in a confined space, he’d decided it was something else.
The door shut behind him and he headed back out into the beautiful summer day at Whisper Lake. He slid his sunglasses on as a satisfied smile spread on his face.
He was more sure than ever that she felt something for him.
She wanted him. She just didn’t want to want him.